Feeding mechanism for fragile articles



Oct. 27, 1959 I L. N. BRAGER FEEDING MECHANISM FOR FRAGILE ARTICLES 2 Sheets-Sheet I Filed June 26, 1953 ATTORNEYS Oct. 27, 1959 1.. N. BRAGER FEEDING MECHANISM FOR FRAGILE ARTICLES 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed June 26, 1953 United States Patent 2,910,211 I FEEDING MECHANISM FOR FRAGILE ARTICLES Leif N. Brager, Maplewood, N.J., assignoi' to American Can Company, New York, N.Y., a corporation of New Jersey Application June 26, 1953, Serial No. 364,423 4 Claims. ((31. 221-236) The present invention relates to a mechanism for feeding fragile articles such as containers from a stackof such articles and has particular reference to devices for gradually removing the articles individually from the stack and upon complete separation therefrom transferring them to a high speed conveyor for further advancement. This is an improvement over the mechanism disclosed in my United States'Patent 2,570,198, issued October9, 1951 on Container Transfer Mechanism.

An object of the instant invention is the provision of a mechanism for feeding fragile articles from a stack of such articles wherein the articles are removed individual-- ly from the bottom of the stack in such amanner asQto effect a gradual, substantially continuous uniform flow or gentle settling movement of the entire stack to obtain complete separation of individual articles from the stack without jarring, distorting or otherwise damaging the articles. i V

Another object is the provisionof sucha feeding mechanism wherein the articles may be separated from the stack at exceedingly high speed without in any manner distorting or damaging'the articles.

Another object is the provision of such a feeding mechanism which is simple in construction, efficient in operation and economical in maintenance.

Numerous other objects and advantages 'of the invention will be apparent as it is better understood from the following description, which, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, discloses a preferred embodiment thereof.

Referring to the drawings:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a feeding mechanism embodying the present invention, with parts broken away and parts shown in section;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary side elevation of the upper portion of the mechanism shown in Fig. 1, the view showing the movable parts in a different position; and

Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken substantially along the line 33 in Fig. 1, with parts broken away. I i o As a preferred orexemplary embodiment of the instant invention the drawings illustrate a feeding mechanism for feeding fragile containers A (Fig. 1) individually and in timed order from the bottom of a stack of such containers for further advancement in timed order as an incident in the fabrication of the containers. The containers preferably are'rnade of fibre material and are rectangular in shape.

The containers A enter the feeding mechanism in a 2,910,211 Patented Oct. 27, 1959 the guide rails 12 extend through an opening 15 into the housing 14 and depend into the housing to guide the containers into feeding position. The ends of the magazine 11 are open for replenishing the stack from the top and for feeding the containers from the bottom of the stack.

Feeding of the containers A individually from the bottom of the stack is effected preferably by an endless chain feeding conveyor 17 having an upper straight run which extends under the magazine 11 adjacent the lower ends of the guide rails 12 and is disposed in a declining position at an angle of'45 degrees thereto. The conveyor 17 operates over a driving sprocket 18 and an idler sprocket 19 disposed in spaced relation to the driving sprocket as shown in Fig. l. The driving sprocketv 18 is mounted on and rotates in a clockwise direction with a main driving shaft 21 (see also Fig. 3) which is journaled in a pair of spaced bearings 22 formed in the housing 14. This shaft is rotated continuously in any.

suitable manner. The idler sprocket 19 is mounted'on an idler shaft 24 which is journaled in suitable bearings similar to the bearings 22 and formed in the housing 14.

The feeding conveyor 17 carries a plurality of feeding or transfer cradles 26 which extend transversely of the conveyor and which are disposed in closely spaced relation. Each cradle 26 is formed with a chevron shaped container support comprising a bottom support plate 27 of substantially the width of a container A and an adjacent side support plate 28 disposed at an angle of substantially degrees thereto and of a height substantially equal to the width of the side of the container. These support plates or shelves 27, 28 define between them a substantially'right angled transverse pocket 29 formceiving and carrying a container A. The bottom support plate 27 may be slightly wider than the vertical support plate 28.

As these cradles 26 move with the conveyor 17 along its declining uper run under the magazine 11, the bottom support plate 27 assumes a substantially horizontal position and the adjacent side support plate 28 assumes a substantially vertical position as best shown in Figs. 1 and 2. Thus the moving cradles 26 set .oifunder the magazine 11 a series of contiguous right angle steps, each step having a height equal to the width ofthe vertical side wall of a horizontally disposed container A and having a breadth or depth equal to the width of the horizontal side wall of the container. The bottom support plate 27 of each cradle 26 overlaps the top edge of the side plate 28'of the next adjacent cradle to provide continuity of the step formation. p

Hence as each cradle 26 passes under the lower end of the magazine 11 at an angle of 45 degrees thereto, it receives in its pocket 29 a container A from the bottom of the stack and carries the received container downwardly along a declining path of travel away from the magazine. The transfer of the container from the magazine to the feeding conveyor takes place while the entire stack moves down through the magazine so that a container entering the magazine, never stops, but keeps moving down while simultaneously being supported by the adjacent container below so that no sudden jarring of the containers takes place.

As the lowermost container A in the stack enters a pocket 29 of a cradle26 and moves downwardly at an angle with it, the bottom support plate 27 of the next following cradle 26 moves gently under the next container in the stack and supports the entire stack while gently lowering the stack (see Fig. 2). During this lowering of the stack, the lowermost container in the stack, re-

the container until the container is fully seated in the cradle pocket and is engaged by the vertically disposed side support plate '28. As the container engages this side plate 28 it also leaves the lower ends of the magazine guide rails 12' and is thus free to advance at an angle with the feeding conveyor 17. Immediately the next cradle 26 on the moving conveyor 17 moves into place to support the stack as the container immediately below slides outwardly and downwardly from under the stack as mentioned above. In this manner each container in the stack moves continuously and gently down through the magazine 11 and onto the continuously moving feeding conveyor 17 in timed order and under full control without any stopping or jarring which may damage the container in any way.

As each container A is received in a pocket 29 of a cradle 26 and moves downwardly along a declining path of travel with the conveyor 17, it is held in its pocket by a pair of spaced and parallel stationary guide rails 32 (Figs. 1 and 3) which are disposed adjacent the path of travel of the container. These guide rails 32 are secured to and form extensions of two of the magazine guide rails 12.

Adjacent the lower end of the feeding conveyor 17, i.e. adjacent the driving sprocket 18, the containers A are transferred in timed order to an advancing conveyor 33 which carries them to any suitable place of deposit such as a subsequent operation machine While keeping the containers in timed order and under full control of the mechanism. The advancing conveyor 33 preferably comprises a pair of spaced and parallel endless chains which carry a plurality of longitudinally spaced and transversely aligned chevron shaped support plates 35 which serve as cradles for receiving the containers A from the feeding cradles 26 and for supporting them during their travel with the advancing conveyor 33.

The chains of the advancing conveyor 33 operate over and are driven by a pair of transversely spaced driving sprockets 37 (Figs. 1 and 3) mounted on and rotating in a counterclockwise direction with a crossshaft 38 journaled in bearings 39 formed in the housing 14. The cross-shaft 38 is continuously rotated in time with the feeding conveyor 17 by a spur gear 41 (Fig. 3) which is mounted on one end of the shaft outside of the housing 14. This gear 41 meshes with and is driven by a gear 42 carried on and rotating with the driving shaft 21 of the feeding conveyor 17. Through this gear connection the feeding conveyor 17 and the advancing conveyor 33 are actuated in timed relation so that their respective cradles 26 and support plates 35 align properly as they move into adjacent positions to transfer the containers from the feeding conveyor to the advancing conveyor for further advancement.

It is thought that the invention and many of its attendant advantages will be understood from the foregoing description, and it will be apparent that various changes containers at high speed, the combination of an upright magazine for laterally retaining the containers in stacked formation,- a conveyor adjacent the lower end of said magazine and movable at a declining angle relative thereto, a plurality of cradles secured to said conveyor at substantially uniform intervals therealong, each of said cradles comprising a support plate having a substantially horizontal surface for supporting a said container and an upstanding side plate at the trailing end of said support plate having a surface engageable with a corresponding wall of the container on said support plate, said surfaces of the cradle forming a chevron shaped pocket with the leading edge of the horizontal surface of each pocket disposed above and over the side plate of its preceding cradle and substantially intersecting the projected plane of the side surface of the pocket of said preceding cradle to form with other similarly related cradle pockets a series of steps, whereby as each cradle passes laterally and downwardly under said magazine the horizontal surface of its pocket immediately follows the departing upper portion of the descending container on the preceding cradle and slides under and supports the lower surface of the lowermost container in said magazine permitting gravitational descent of said stacked containers until the side surface of the pocket engages said lowermost container to remove it laterally from the bottom of the descending stack.

2. Mechanism of the character set forth in claim 1 wherein the horizontal surface of each cradle pocket is substantially as wide as the container supported thereon.

3. Mechanism of the character set forth in claim 2 wherein the containers are rectangular, and the side plate of each cradle is vertical and engageable with a corresponding vertical wall of the container supported in the cradle pocket.

4. Mechanism of the character set forth in claim 1 wherein a stationary guide extends laterally and downwardly from the bottom of said magazine parallel to and alongside the path of said containers for retaining the containers in the moving cradles and means are provided for removing the containers from said cradles.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,348,400 Manspeaker May 9, 1944 2,393,961 Almgren Feb. 5, 1946 2,424,103 Lobley et a1 July 15, 1947 2,570,198 Brager Oct. 9, 1951 

